Car-coupling.



no. 699,505. Patented May 6, 1902..

J. H. D. EAGAN.

' GAR COUPLING.

(Application fl1ed May 16, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3' Sheets-Shem F1622; FZGIJ. I

" WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

54WM- WWW M Patented May 6, I902;

.1. H. n. EAGAN.

CAB COUPLING.

(Application flleli May 16, 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model-J 'INVENTOR: Z W M WITNESSES:

MEL Z No. 699,505. Patented May 6, I902 J. H. D. EAGAN.

OAR COUPLING.

(Application filed May 16, 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shaet 3 FIG 6.

WITNESSES:

llniirnn STATES,

PATE T OFFICE.

JOHN HENRY DOIVLING EAGAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,505, dated May 6, 1902.

Application filed May 16, 1901. Serial N0- GOABO. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY DOWLING EAGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of automatic car couplers, and provides improvements adapted for use in connection with types of couplers of the foregoing character now generally adopted.

It is the object of my invention to provide a coupler with means by which it may when locked be manually so set for uncoupling that the two cars to which the respective members of the coupler are connected may be subsequently drawn apart without further attention or attendance on the part of such operator, the separation of the respective members in the drawing apart of such cars automatically restoring the parts to their normal position so that when said members are again brought into contact with each other or other coupler members of like fashion they'will be automatically interlocked, and it is a further object to provide such an arrangement of the parts that after the engaged members of a coupling have, by an operator, by mistake or otherwise, been set for uncoupling, the parts may when desired be manually restored to the positions they occupywhe'n in ordi nary locked engagement, without requiring that the two cars with which the respective members are connected shalh'to restore such locked engagement, be drawn apart and then forced together. It is a further object of-my. invention to provide a coupler embodying the foregoing features of operation the parts of which shall be few in number, simple in form, direct in action, not liable to get out of order, easily made and assembled, and very quick in operation.

In the accompanying drawings I show, and herein I describe, one of the manypossible "embodiments of my invention, the particular subject-matter claimed as novel being hereinafter specified.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a View in perspective of a coupler head embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a view in perspective of the locking block.

Figure 3 is a view in perspective of what I term the trigger.

Figure 4 is a plan of the locking block and associated parts, the heading being shown in section on the dotted line 44: of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is an elevation of the locking block and associated parts, the head being in section on the dotted line 55 of Figure 4:.

Figure 6 is a plan of the locking block and associated parts, the head beingin section on the dotted line 66 of Figure 7.

Figure 7 is an elevation of the locking block and associated parts, the head being in section on the dotted line 7-7 of Figure 6. 1

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In Figures 4 and 5 the parts are shown in the positions they occupy when set for uncoupling.

In Figures 6 and 7 the parts are shown as in the positions they occupy when locked.

In the accompanying drawings,

1 is a coupler head of any usual construction, pivotally arranged Within which are the knuckle 2 and the locking block 3. i is the pivot of the locking block, 5 its cam face, and 6 its locking face. 7 is a lifting link which extends throughasuitable recessinthetop of the head, and the lower end of which is pivotally connected to the locking block.

Ifind it convenient to form a narrow slot in the upper portion of said block and enter the lower end of the link within such slot, securing it therein by a screw or pivot passing bodily through the block and such link end. I I

As those familiar with the operation of apparatus of this character are aware, when two coupler heads of the character shown, and in uncoupled adjustment or arrangement, are brought into contact, the tail pieces of the knuckles are by the contact v of the parts swung inwardly within the bodies of the heads.

In such action the tail piece of each knuckle will encounter the cam face 5 of the associated locking block, and raising such block by such encounter, pass to the space beyond or in front of the locking face 6 of said block, said block thereupon dropping to the position shown in Figures 6 and 7, and locking said tail piece against outward or forward movement.

8 is what I term the trigger, consisting of a shank to which the said numeral is directly applied,the stud 9 projecting from said shank, the contact block 10 projecting from said shank at a point below said stud, and the handle ll formed upon the upper end of the shank, all as plainly shown in Figure 5.

Said trigger is in the embodiment of my invention illustrated, arranged in an approximately vertical but slightly inclined position with its handle projecting through an opening in the top of the head, and its lower end extending downward through an opening in the bottom of said head and pivotally engaged between lugs or cars 12 formed on the lower face thereof.

The arrangementand mounting of the triggerisin the embodimentof myinvention illustrated such, its point of pivotal support between the ears 12 being to the rear of its center of gravity, that it tends constantly to fall forwardly and downwardly in a plane perpendicular to the plane of movementof the locking block,'the recesses through which the trigger extends in the top and bottom webs of the head being, of course, sufficiently large to allow of the required movement.

The rear face of the locking block is in the embodiment of myinvention illustrated provided with a recess 13 adapted to receive the stud 9 of the trigger.

The contact block 10 is of such depth from front to rear that its inclined front edge projects, when the trigger is tilted forward, into the path of movement of the tail of the knuckle.

The operation of the apparatus will be readily understood:

In the operation of the parts the locking block and knuckle co-operate in the usual manner. When, however, it is desiredto set the coupler for uncoupling, the link 7 is to be elevated either through being directly grasped or through any suitable traction mechanism attached to it, the elevation of said link, of course, occasioning a corresponding elevation .Of the locking block.

In the normal position of the parts the stud ,.9 of the trigger rests against the rear face of the locking block, but when said block has been so far elevated that the recess 13 registers with said stud, said stud under the tendency of the trigger to fall forward upon or with respect to its pivotal connection with the ears 12, drops so to speak or is entered in such recess, the entry of the stud within said recess and the consequent completion of the setting for uncoupling being known to the operator through observation of the forward movement of the handle of said trigger which accompanies the entry of the stud within the recess.

As aresult of the engagement of the stud in the recess 13 the locking block is maintained in the elevated position shown in Figure 5, and, of course, being out of the path of the knuckle tail, offers no opposition'to the outward movement of the latter, with the result that the coupling heads will be drawn apart when one of the two coupled cars is carried away from the other, without any further act or attention on the part of an operator.

As the two coupling members are drawn away from each other the knuckle tail swinging forwardly encounters the contact block 10 and through such encounter tilts the trigger rearwardly, withdrawing the stud 9 from the recess 13. The locking block thereupon is free to drop to its normal position, and the coupler head will be thus left in condition to be automatically locked in engagement'with the next coupler head With which it makes contact.

After the parts have been set for uncoupling, and it is thereafter and before the uncoupling has taken place, desired to restore the parts to locked engagement, such restoration may be accomplished by manually, through the handle 11, drawing the trigger rearwardly to release the locking block by disengaging the stud 9 from the recess 13; the locking block thereupon, of course, drops into position to secure the knuckle against outward swinging movement.

It will be understood from a contemplation of the organization of my improved coupler that the trigger, so called, being pivotally mounted at the bottom of the coupler head, and extending through and to a point above such head, is of such length that in throwing it the benefit of the considerable leverage due to its length and disposition is obtained.

The rusting of the pivotal connection of the trigger to the head becomes thus a matter of no consequence, the leverage being so great that the formation of rust or the presence of ice which might interfere with the movement of a small movable part olfers under ordinary circumstances no serious impediment to the movement of the trigger shown and described; furthermore, the trigger being arranged on a pivot located at one side of its center of gravity, is, by reason of its disposition and length, very quick in its action of engaging with the locking block when the latter is elevated so that the engaging devices of the block and trigger come into registry.

The parts of my coupler are large, simple, direct acting, not easily deranged or rendered inoperative, and are manipulated with the minimum of attention on the part of the brakeman.

The arrangement of the lugs upon the under surface of the head, and the formation of the opening in the under portion of the head, involves a construction of the head which is not only advantageous in ease of assemblage of the parts and of access to the pivot of the trigger, but also advantageous in that it may be very readilyand economically formed in operations of casting.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination, to form a car coupling member, of a coupler head, a knuckle pivotally mounted in said head, a locking block movable in an approximately vertical plane, adapted to be automatically elevated by the knuckle tail in its rearward movement and, after such rearward movement, to descend by gravity into position to lock the knuckle tail, a locking block elevating device connected with said locking block and extending to the exterior of the head, a trigger pivotally secured,at a point on one side of its center of gravity, to the bottom portion of the head, extending through an opening in the top of said head, and adapted to be manually tilted with respect to its pivot, and also adapted to be tilted by the knuckle tail in its movement, and means by which said trigger automatically engages the locking block when the latter is in elevated position.

2. The combination, to form a car coupling member, of a coupler head, a knuckle pivotally mounted in said head, a locking block movable in an approximately vertical plane, adapted to be automatically elevated by the knuckle tail in its rearward movement, and, after such rearward movement, to descend by gravity into position to lock the knuckle tail, an elevating device connected with said looking block and extending to the exterior of the head, atrigger pivotally secured, atapoint on one side of its center of gravity, to the bottom portion of the head, and extending through an opening in the top oft said head, and adapted to be manually tilted with respect to its pivot,

means by which said trigger automatically engages the locking blockwhen the latter is in an elevated position, and a contact block carried on said trigger and projecting beneath the locking block in position to be encountered, and, with the trigger, tilted, by the knuckle tail.

The combination, to form a car coupling member, of a coupler head having a trigger opening formed in its top and a trigger opening formed in its bottom, a lug arranged on the exterior of the head in the vicinity of the opening formed in its bottom, a knuckle pivotally mounted in said head, a movable looking block adapted to be automatically elevated by the knuckle tail in its rearward movement, and, after such rearward movement, to descend by gravity into position to lock the knuckle tail, a locking block elevating device connected with said locking block, and extending to the exterior of the head, a trigger extending through the trigger openings in the top and bottom of -the head and having a pivotal connection with the lug, said pivotal connection being at one side of the center of gravity of the trigger, means by which said trigger automatically engages the locking block when the latter is in elevated position, and a contact block carried on said trigger and projecting past the locking block in position to be encountered and, with the trigger, tilted, by the knuckle tail.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 9th day of May, A. D. 1901.

JOHN HENRY BOWLING EAGAN, 

